The Punjab government has set up surveillance and reporting centres in six districts in the province to collect information and data on epidemics in animals.
The government has set up these centres in Chakwal, Kasur, Toba Tek Singh, Gujrat, Bahawalpur and Bhakkar, under the Strengthening of Livestock Services (SLS) programme being carried out with the collaboration of European Union (EU).
A meeting to review the performance of these centers and the project was held with Director General Punjab livestock and dairy development Dr Sajjad Zaheer Malik in the chair. The meeting was attended by the veterinary research institute, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore, diagnosis experts and district livestock officers of specific districts.
The meeting reviewed the facilities provided in surveillance and reporting centers for reporting of epidemics and their treatment and future strategy was devised to timely control spread of diseases in animals.
Speaking on this occasion Dr Sajjad Zaheer Malik said after imposition of WTO it is duty of the experts that they should not only rely on information submit by field staff rather also create awareness amongst livestock farmers that they should furnish information of emergence of symptoms of any diseases in animals to these centers.
This would help controlling spread of epidemics. He said ambit of these centers would be spread through out the province after judging their utility. Information collected in these centers can also be utilised for future planning for development of livestock, he concluded.